First, there is this from the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News:
The groundbreaking ceremony for Istanbul’s controversial $3 billion third bridge over the Bosphorus was held yesterday, on the 560th anniversary of Istanbul’s conquest by the Ottomans. The ceremony was attended by Turkish President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the name of the bridge has been announced as “Yavuz Sultan Selim,” one of the most prominent sultans in Ottoman history. “We thought a lot about which name should be given to the third bridge over the Bosphorus in Istanbul, and we have decided on Yavuz Sultan Selim,” Gül said at the ceremony.
So they put a lot of thought into choosing the name of the bridge. And as such, they chose a Sultan who was known not only for greatly expanding the Ottoman Empire, but also for making it illegal to be a Christian within the empire. In other words, they chose an extremist, expansionist, Islamist Sultan. Certainly not the kind of individual you would wish to honor if you were seeking to build a positive and tolerant image abroad. The ceremony was concluded by prayerfully celebrating the conquest of Istanbul and memorializing the “martyrs” of that conquest:
The Turkish government has already worked on seven big projects worth $150 billion in Istanbul, which is known as the “city on the seven hills,” like Rome, [Turkish Transport Minister] Yıldırım said yesterday. In addition to these seven projects, such as the third bridge and the third airport, the prime minister announced new projects to be held… The ceremony ended with collective prayers both to commemorate martyrs and to celebrate the 560th anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul.
And then there is the other massive Turkish construction project, this one in the US:
The government of Turkey is building a 15-acre, $100 million mega-mosque in Lanham, Maryland. Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan visited the site on May 15 as part of his official visit to the U.S. The state of Maryland was officially represented at the event by its Secretary of State John McDonough. The event was also attended by the leaders of two U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entities. The mega-mosque is called the Turkish American Culture and Civilization Center and, according to the Muslim Link, it “will likely become the largest and most striking examples of Islamic architecture in the western hemisphere” when it is finished in 2014. The Muslim Link explicitly says it is “a project of the government of Turkey.”
Someone certainly has a very strong sense of cultural confidence, but it most definitely is not the US. Welcome to the age of Turkish ascendancy. Read the full article by Ryan Mauro at the Clarion Project
8 Responses
Joel,
Thanks for sharing. We are certainly watching the revived Ottoman empire come about. It is true that Istanbul sits on seven hills. The seven hills are well within the walls of the city.
However, Rev 17 says that the seven heads are hills that the woman (mystery Babylon) sits on. Mecca sits near seven mountains as well. Firstly the Greek word used is “OROS”, which means MOUNTAINS not hills, which is “BOUNOS.” (Rev 17:9). Rome is not in such a situation. Also the Hebrew “kathemai” meaning “to sit by or down” not “on”.
Saudi Arabia’s Mecca fulfills this condition, not Rome. Also Rome sits only on the Mediterranean Sea, but Mecca or The Arab League are surrounded by many waters, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Mediterraneas, Caspian and Black Seas – indeed many waters.
Interesting , I checked for all cities known as 7 hills cities. There are 65. And I obviously find Istanbul and Mecca as “the ones”. I lean towards Walid Shoebat’s Mecca. But I live near one – Sommerville , Ma. ! Should the revived Roman empire teachers start interpreting it as referring to Sommerville? And of course I kid, but I also know from Revelation 17 that the 7 hills are kingdoms of course. Wake up all my favorite through the years prophecy teachers : Hal Lindsey , Jack Van Impe, Songtime USA,Calvary Chapel, etc., and forget Rome.
Bizzare article. What evidence has he even put forward that Germany is behind this? What has he got against Germany? German foreign policy is mainly wrapped up in the EU these days, and does not have an interventionist foreign policy agenda. It was in fact the Germans in Libya who opposed the use of the NATO air power being used t tip the balance in favour of one side or the other, and they wanted to abide by the letter of the UN resolution. It was the French and UK who moved the argument on and Germany ceded. Most of the fighting was done by the UK and French.
And just for the record, on the US relationship with Turkey, lets not forget that George Bush applied pressure on the European Union to allow Turkey into the EU. Thankfully that’s one pressure that European leaders ignored. Why would we want Turkey in Europe? Turkey is not European, it is increasingly extremist and Islamacist, and frankly poor. Europe has enough problems than you very much – American Presidents keep your noses out please!
What a terrific person
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selim_I
Joel – is there a source for that piece of info about the sultan making it illegal to be Christian?
Scripture says that the “beast and ten kings” will “hate the harlot, turn on her and burn her.” The antichrist and ten kings (horns) are not yet established, so I don’t think Iran missiles fired on Mecca is how the harlot will be destroyed (Rev. 17:16-18).
I think it’s possible that the ten horns will be ten Islamic nations, under antichrist, that will form the confederacy of nations recorded in Ezek. 38.
Amir,
If you are searching through Ottoman or general historical sources, he is frequently referred to as Sultan Selim I or “The Grim”. He ruled from 1470-1520. He earned the title “the Grim” with good reason. My reference comes from Jihad in the West: Muslim Conquests from the 7th to the 21st Centuries By Paul Fregosi, page 277 which discusses Selim I.
You can get a glimpse here: http://tinyurl.com/lo4zdgw